Movement into Germany

In the fall of 1943, we had heavy rains and it was very cold. We were in the Battle of Hurtgen Forest and it was terrible. We lost heavily.

The Hurtgen Forest was just east of the Belgian-German border. It was the longest battle on German ground during World War II, and the longest single battle the U. S. Army has ever fought — 33,000 soldiers were either killed or incapacitated. The Germans lost about 28,000 soldiers.

Many of the Infantry and Engineers suffered with trench foot which was very painful and some had to leave for hospital treatment. We had no rubber footwear, just the eight-inch top split leather shoes with no waterproofing. I suffered with that also. We held this position for a month before moving on.

We were so close to enemy lines that one day an armored car full of high-ranking German officers pulled right into our camp, thinking it was one of their own units. Needless to say, they were captured on the spot; it was a big boost to our morale and a feather in our Company’s cap.

We were relieved the last days of November to an inactive rest area after 120 straight days in combat.
I had slept on the ground or a foxhole since last June 1, in every kind of weather imaginable — heat, wind, rain, cold, snow and ice. We survived through one of the worst winters that the area had ever had.

We arrived about 25 miles into Luxembourg in the southern area at Diekirch. We had a building used for housing there, and it was the first time in a whole year that we could sleep indoors. We had to man the outposts.

We moved up through Germany and traveled south following the Rhine River from cities like Cologne, where you could see the church steeple from 20 miles away on a clear day, through Dusseldorf, Frankfort, Mannheim and Strasbourg, to name a few of the big cities.

We had to bulldoze our way through these cities because most of these cities were nothing, completely bombed and flattened. Since the German bridges were destroyed, we had to erect Bailey Bridges to cross the water.

I also passed through many of the other big cities in Europe like Brussels, Antwerpen, Amsterdam and Luxembourg.

By early December, we could hear in the distance much training going on, tanks moving and men giving orders, but it was still quiet at the outposts. I had to guard there also. The Germans were definitely building up a big offense.

On Dec. 16, 1944, all hell broke loose, and we were in the Battle of the Bulge. We blew up bridges, made road blocks and fought. I drove the truck with our men and equipment, and then part of the Division was cut off. We retreated about eight miles and were cut off from everyone for about two weeks, totally surrounded by Germans.

The Germans would call up our commanding officers everyday saying, “We have you surrounded. You might as well give up!” but the Lieutenant from the Infantry told them to go to hell. As long as we still had ammunition, we would get as many of them as possible.

Those German tanks were big, but Colonel Rudder and the 109th held ground.

German soldiers were so close we could hear them speak. I had a good friend on my truck named Claus Meyers from Medford, and he spoke fluent German. He answered the Germans and their scouting detail in their language, saving us many confrontations and lives. Finally, the Infantry broke through and we were saved.

At the home farm in Morgan, my folks received notice that I was missing in action. It wasn’t until February that the first word got through that we were safe.

Our A Company Engineers lost about one third of the men. B Company next to us lost all but eight men; the rest were killed or captured. C Company lost one third of their men. We kept in touch with many of my buddies at our reunions after the war. The POWs had some miserable tales to tell.

We went from the Battle of the Bulge to another area in southern France, Colmar. There I lost three of my best comrades from my squad. Claus Meyers stepped on a mine. Swanson from Kenosha and a new replacement, whose name I have forgotten, were killed by machine gun fire. Many other comrades were wounded.

The Battle of the Bulge lasted until January 25, 1945.

Not long after this the Germans lost. German prisoners by the thousands gave up and the war was over on May 7, 1945. God willing I was fine. I still had the truck I started with, but now it had several bullet holes through it.

My buddy, Laurie Hill from Crystal Falls, Mich., who was the gunner, was still with me, as were several of the original boys.

Through the grace of God we made it. We kept track of each other for more than fifty years.

Ahead of Veterans Day, the Peshtigo Times is honoring the service of local veterans.

Harris Larsen of Oconto Falls was born into a family of 11 children near Oconto Falls. Larsen served in World War II and passed away in 2013 at the age of 93. His writings were submitted by his niece Carolyn Van Donsel.

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